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Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Stracciatella - Roman Egg Drop Soup

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This soup makes a delightfully easy and delicious light meal. It is not substantial enough for everyone, but most folks enjoy the soup as a separate course or as part of a larger meal. While this recipe is Roman, the Chinese and the Greeks have nearly identical soups in their repertoires and I sense we'd be in trouble if we try to assign the soup a country of origin. There's not much to this. It consists of a good broth into which eggs, mixed with semolina and grated cheese, are dropped. The eggs are stirred vigorously, causing them to break them into the characteristic flakes or shards that resemble rags. The rags, called straccetti in Italian, are what give the soup its name. Years ago, the soup was eaten at least once a week, but it popularity has waned in recent years. That's a shame. It is a lovely restorative soup. I hope you'll try it at least once. Here's the recipe.

Directions:
1) Combine eggs, semolina, grated cheese, parsley and nutmeg in a small bowl. Add a ladle of cold broth and beat mixture lightly with a fork or whisk.
2) Bring remainder of broth to a boil. Add egg mixture all at once, stirring vigorously with a whisk or fork so as to break egg mass into small flakes or shards. Simmer for another 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly, and serve, passing additional grated cheese. Yield: 6 servings.

Mary, I love any kind of egg drop soup especially with tomatoes. Your version is really easy to prepare and hassle free. Love it! Hope you & Bob are both enjoying yourself and have a safe trip.Blessings, Kristy

Good morning Mary--wherever you are! I haven't thought of this soup in years as I tend to make soups that can be frozen. I do believe, however, that this soup could replace my "always-on-hand" chicken soup as it's quick preparation can deliver deliciousness as well as being restorative. Thanks for continuing to visit with us while on your travels.

My mom used to make a version of this back in the day of meatless Fridays. She would use the coking water of pasta (usually broken up pieces of spaghetti), a can of baby peas and the egg mixed with Parmesan cheese.I think it was made when mom's food budget was stretched thin, but we all loved it.

We make ours with ancini de pepe, which is sometimes hard to find- the small ball variety rather than the stars. I haven't made it in so long. Thank you for reminding me. I never knew what it was called. It brings back memories of comfort. Made usually when I was sick.

My Italian grandmother made me something similar when I was little, but her version was with pastina. She used less broth, too, so it came out sort of like a thin porridge more than a soup. I still make it for myself when I need some comfort food or when I'm sick.

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